Top 5 stories of 2013 in Waterloo Region

The ongoing changes at BlackBerry, including the departure of former CEO Thorsten Heins, was our choice for the number one story in Waterloo Region of 2013. (The Associated Press)

Considerable change came to Waterloo Region in 2013. There was a big shift in the fortunes of a major employer and innovator in the region, as well as the destruction of a prominent local landmark and community gathering spot.

There were stories that shocked the community as well - and CBC KW was there to capture community reaction.

Here are five of the top stories in Waterloo Region in 2013.

1. BlackBerry

Smartphone maker BlackBerry has made headlines throughout a year of tumultuous changes. 2014 will be a big year for the Waterloo-based company as it continues to implement a restructuring plan – and further local layoffs – under the leadership of interim CEO John Chen.

2. Death of Const. Jennifer Kovach

Guelph Police Const. Jennifer Kovach died after she lost control of her police cruiser and crashed head-on into a Guelph city bus on March 14, 2013.

The 26-year-old had long dreamed of serving as a police officer. (The Canadian Press)

Kovach was responding to a call for assistance from another office, and was alone in her cruiser at the time. Police later said that Kovach was not wearing a seatbelt and that speed and slick road conditions contributed to the crash.

3. St. Jacobs Market main building fire

The first sign that something was happening at St. Jacobs Farmers' Market came early on Twitter in the morning on Monday, September 2, 2013. At first there were just a few photos of flames and smoke at the market, but soon it became apparent that whatever was happening was big. Eventually, the fire destroyed the main two-storey market building completely. Damage was estimated at $2 million. Later in the week the building's remains were demolished, and the community rallied around vendors who had been displaced.

4. Dellen Millard charged in death of Tim Bosma

Ancaster man Tim Bosma, 32, disappeared the evening of May 6 after he took two strangers on a test-drive of a truck he had listed for sale online. By the middle of May, police found Bosma's remains on a North Dumfries farm owned by Dellen Millard. Police charged Millard with first-degree murder.​ Later that month, Millard's friend Mark Smich was also arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Bosma's wife, Sharlene, said she was left 'broken' by her husband's death.

Friends and family described Bosma as a kind-hearted man who was "generous with laughs and love." (Facebook)

But police returned again and again to search Millard's farm, later in connection with the disappearance of Laura Babcock, who had been romantically linked with Millard. No other human remains have been found on the farm. Millard and Smich are schedule to appear in court January 2.

​5. Daycare provider charged with poisoning children

Christine Allen, a Kitchener resident who ran an unlicensed daycare, has been accused of poisoning 8 children in total and one adult with tetrahydrozoline. The drug is found in over-the-counter eye drops and can cause serious illness if it is ingested.

Corrections

An earlier version of the story reported that slain Ancaster man Tim Bosma was last seen before taking two men on a test drive of a truck that he listed for sale on the online classified site Kijiji. While Bosma did post an ad for his truck on Kijiji and at least one other online site, Kijiji has told police investigators that the ad did not receive any replies and that it did not feature any contact information for Bosma.